In-game communications between players on the PS3 is to be extended and improved this summer, according to Sony Computer Entertainment Europe managing director Ray Maguire.

At a recent trade event, Maguire said: "Our momentum will continue with the introduction of in-game communication in the summer, firmware update 2.4 and the strongest line-up of games through our third party partners and our own studios."

TechRadar spoke with Daniel Dawkins, editor of PSM3 Magazine, this morning who told us: "This brings the PS3 up to parity with Xbox Live, the key difference being that it's free".Dawkins added: "Sony is working its best to respond to what gamers want. The amount of evolution in terms of the firmware updates over the last year has been phenomenal."